sons.” She smiled gently at the young gray brown cub.

            Dailia nodded and, making sure not to walk anywhere near her mother, she went to the cave wall. “Hasira, can you walk?” When her sister nodded painfully, they walked up to the Princess, Hasira leaning against her sister.

            Kiara noticed the open wounds on Hasira. She sighed and turned again to Weusi. “I don’t know how long it will take you to get your act together, Weusi, but for your cubs’ sake I hope it’s soon. They need their mother.”

            Weusi didn’t reply. She only watched as Kiara led her children out of her cave. She clawed the ground, breathing heavily.

When Kiara took the cubs outside she told them to play with Baraka and the other cubs. As they did, she watched Hasira. She felt sorry for the cub and wished there was more she could do. “But some time away from her mother is what they both need now,” she thought. “That’s good enough.”

            She went to Kovu and quietly informed him on what had happened. By the time she was through he was pacing and muttering. “I’m sure you told her that she will not get them back until she behaves?” he asked.

            Kiara nodded. “Yes, I did.” She paused. “Kovu, you know I am not a violent animal, but… if the kids hadn’t been in the cave, I’d have hit Weusi. Thank goodness I was able to control myself before I yielded to the feeling. I wanted to badly.”

            Kovu nuzzled her. “I’m glad you didn’t.” He pulled back. “How long will it take until she realizes?”

            Kiara didn’t answer. She watched the cubs. She could see Kadiri, Mabaki and Saada comforting their friends. Arif and Baraka were in deep conversation. She would speak with them later.

            In the late afternoon Weusi’s cubs ate from the royal family’s carcass. The Regents watched them, completely and utterly amazed. It was as if the girls hadn’t eaten a decent meal in days, maybe longer. Kiara’s ears fell. No cub deserved to suffer like that. Once Hasira and Dailia were returned to Weusi, Kiara would keep watch.

            “If she so much as touches their heads in an attempt to strike she will lose them permanently,” the Princess thought.

            That night Dailia and Hasira slept near the royal family. While her sister slept fitfully, Hasira woke and looked around. To her, this was almost paradise. It felt good not seeing her mother anywhere near her. She looked up at the Regents and then at the princes’, who were curled at their mother’s side. Hasira smiled sadly and eyed the eldest son, the one destined to be future king, Prince Baraka. Hasira couldn’t put her paw on it but there was something about him.

            When Kiara explained to her sons why the females were there, Baraka expressed his kindness and sympathy. Hasira thought that was sweet, which it was, but afterward, he withdrew himself. She had been surprised but not enough to ask why. She found herself liking the prince for his kindness. But that was all he showed, just kindness, no other words, except, “My parents will look after you. They’re good lions and they believe in equality.”

            It struck her at how such words could come from a young cub who would one day be their leader and protector.

            “He would make a good king,” she thought as her eyes began to drop. A minute later she fell asleep and for the first time in months her sleep was peaceful.

For over two weeks, they stayed with the royal family, and outside with their friends they were happy, though Hasira, at times, was cold and played too hard. Aside from that, everything was well. In the afternoons Dailia and Hasira avoided their mother, but it looked like Weusi was missing her children. Kiara had once heard the lioness mumbling in her cave, softly saying that she was sorry for harming Hasira.

            After talking with the cubs and the lioness separately, Kiara allowed Weusi to have her cubs back. But in the Princess’s heart, she wished she hadn’t.

            Weusi’s mistreatment of Hasira continued. Knowing this had placed Kiara into a state of depression making her believe that she failed to keep the cubs safer longer. But Kovu helped her through it.

            And Hasira, still taking the beatings, found a way – and to her it was the only way – to make the pain go away: Attacking Dailia. When things got too hard, too painful, she’d lose control, not caring who she hurt.

            Dailia took her sister’s attacks but never raised a paw. It allowed her to feel what Hasira felt day in and day out from their mother. And there were so many times she wanted to not live up to the meaning of her name, to go against herself and her peaceful ways and attack her mother. Why did their mother hate Hasira? What did she ever do, aside from being born?

As the next few years passed it got worse. Weusi was entirely unstable, and when her daughters celebrated their first birthday, she was nowhere to be seen. The young lionesses stayed in their cave, grateful for the peace. It was incredibly soothing. Hasira had slept wonderfully.

            If only it could’ve lasted forever.

            Weusi returned a week later and accused Hasira, who was alone in the cave, of taking over. Weusi had beaten her, almost to the point where Hasira nearly died. Kovu and Kiara intervened that time and told Weusi to stay in the lower caves where she would be under guard. She stayed there for three months.

            Life continued as the three months came and went, and Weusi – after her confinement to the lower caves – didn’t abuse Hasira as much. Everyone was weary. No one could take a chance. The young lions and lionesses continued to grow, and Hasira, during this time, was calm. She didn’t attack her sister too often. Things were looking up. While everything was peaceful, the pride celebrated Prince Baraka and Prince Arif’s second birthdays, along with the birthdays of their friends. Sadly, during that day, Weusi was depressed. No one came near her. Hasira and Dailia avoided her at all costs.

            The friends chatted together long into the night.

            The next day, the Princes’ started their training. Prince Baraka spent time with his parents, preparing for the day when he would be king. Arif was under the tutelage of the mandrill shaman, Rafiki. The blackmaned prince had announced that he wanted to be a shaman. No one objected. Kovu and Kiara were proud. The others, Kadiri, Mabaki and Dailia, pledged their loyalties to the Pridelands, wanting to serve the kingdom and leaders. Kovu and Kiara gave them guardian positions, which they took without hesitation. Saada, Mabaki’s sister, joined the hunting party.

            Hasira just wandered. She didn’t know what she wanted out of life for herself, but there was one thing she did want in the private places of her heart: Her mother dead. But was there something or someone else?

            Baraka…

            The name of the Prince always came to mind, especially when she wandered. Did she like him? Possibly, but did he like her? He never showed interest but she felt he would in time, if they spent more time together… But every attempt was the same. He would pull away when she nuzzled him. He wasn’t interested, but she never gave up. She felt the kindness he showed when they were cubs meant something. She continued to try, and in one failed attempt attacked Dailia, who later, she learned, realized her feelings for Kadiri. Hasira was given a punishment for that but didn’t care. She had learned to tolerate her mother’s beatings.

The days came and went, but for Weusi, the days were growing short. The lioness had gone to Rafiki because of an increasing pain in her head. The mandrill, with the help of his trainee, Prince Arif, examined her. The mandrill asked her to chew on a yellow flower and spit it out into a gourd, which was at the lioness’s paws. When the chewed substance was in the gourd, Rafiki stirred it with a small stick. He picked up a pinch of it with his fingers. The remnants were thin. Rafiki knew it wasn’t a